Analyzing the Intent and Implication of Educational Policy in Australia - Article Example

Skills for prosperity (Analyzing the intent and implication of educational Policy in Australia) Institution Name Abstract In the recent past, Australia has innovatively developed in the provision of educational services making one of the leading countries in this sector. Its system has become very effective because of its renowned policy developments. Because of this, it has been emulated by many countries that have also the desire to establish stable education services. The Australian education system therefore has been composed of national quality assurance frameworks that have helped run key areas of institutions. This has created a framework that has linked Australian school, vocational and higher education qualifications into simple structure of awards. The educational program has thus supported programs such as Vocational Education and Training in Schools, Articulation and Credit Transfer Arrangements and Recognition of Prior Learning. Despite all these grow ups, the education system in Australia has got certain injustices that needed to be addressed. This is because the government of Australia has been under-investing in education especially on the side of disadvantaged students. Some of these inequalities like racialism and multiracialism needed policy solutions. Such polices have been put in place already. This paper thus aims to explore the intentions and implications of such educational policies on the students especially the disadvantaged groups. The discussion is based on the policies like public funding that help bring equalities. A further analysis of the intent and implication of these policies is also geared towards establishing how they apply to and improve the VET sector in Australia. Introduction In any country, the approach and attention given to the education sector, determines how a country grows both economically and socially. Australia in this case is not an exception. It is an example of a country that once faced an urgent need to reform its higher education system but later reorganized and became one of the countries with the best education policies in the world. This was geared by the need to maintain high standards of living, democracy and establish a civil and just society that also takes care of disadvantaged groups of people like the indigenous people, people with low socio-economic status and those from regional and remote areas (Skill Australia, 2008). More specifically, the higher education sector should help solve social disadvantages like racism, ethnicity and multiracialism because such ideas impact greatly on the performance of an education sector. It is because of such challenges that the Ministry of Education in Australia saw the need to review policies in the higher education system especially in the area of vocational education and training. The need to review the system of education also came with the observation and report that the world was rapidly changing and therefore there was need for Australia to have highly skilled people to adjust and catch up with the changing world. The higher education sector would be a major contributor to achieving this skilled workforce because the sector, in this country, is viewed as the pillar of legal, economic, social and cultural institutions. The reforms would thus include a check on the structure, organization and financing of the sector. As this paper explores some of the policies, their intents and implications, one fact that cannot be forgotten is the establishment of the fact that most students in Australia are of different socio-economic status. This socio-economic status is determined largely by academic achievement. This gives a good reason why this paper will broadly look at the educational funding policy to see whether it caters for all students including the disadvantaged ones. More specifically, the paper is largely focusing on the policies that would enhance equality in the provision of educational services. An analysis of the policies is as well largely motivated by the observation that public educational spending is an important factor that determines the economic well-being of a country. Australia as a country has fallen behind OECD average in its support for education( Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008). Another fact that cannot be ignored is that Australian universities require governmental support especially in the area of research. The intent and implications of Educational Policy in Australia One would not fail to mention the Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) when trying to cross-examine Australia’s educational policy. This is because this area attracts people all over the world. Such a system as the one found in Australia is not easily found in many countries especially those that are up to ensure a highly skilled workforce to support the strong global economy(Australia High Commission India, 2012). The VET system has got attractive packages developed by many enterprises and it equips one with skills that are required in a work place. Therefore, any one who undergoes such training would complete with competency and high standards. The vocational education and training (VET) as well as the higher education sector in Australia is geared towards ensuring that it is a world class and high-performing sector that will be vibrant enough to address skill shortages and help students participate in the workforce. This is with the view that VET links learners to the labor market, workplaces, and community development, individual and employers aspirations (Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations,2008). In a bid to realize this vision, the government of Australia through review committees saw that it would be necessary to enlarge the number of people with higher education in the country. The intention here was to ensure provision of funds to fund the number that would be participating; ensure that everyone has access to the benefits of education; monitor arrangements for high quality education and reorganize the national governance structure (Skill Australia, 2008). The Review of Australian Higher Education (2008) report estimates that the target population for students participating in the upgrading of the education sector should be 40% of students between the ages of 25-to- 34years old ( Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008). This would include giving the disadvantaged group an opportunity to also participate as well as provision of higher education in regional areas (Skill Australia, 2008). This policy was adopted by the Australian government towards ensuring that there was equality in education and the government decided to exercise expansion of the requirements for workforce participation and the challenges by 2020, by introducing new financing strategies for VET sector (Skills Australia, 2011). The implication of such a policy would require that institutions receive funding if only they allowed their staff to comment freely on issues on their area of specialization. As an educator, one would be required to admit students regardless of race, gender or religious belief; and adopt strategy to ensure continuity in the culture of sustained scholarship. This will in turn give each student in Australia an opportunity to access education at whatever level. The public funding of higher education then would also have to be transparent, fair (including admission of students) and allow the service providers to pursue other strategies for the benefit of their students and the community at large. The educational policy would further ensure educational equality ascertaining that the VET program is available to the disadvantaged students and that the student scholarships be extended to VET students as Youth allowance, Austudy and Abstudy (Skills Austarlia+, 2011). This would be effective if only the rules governing the access of this help are reviewed to allow disadvantaged students to access it. Utilization of Existing Australian Government Enterprise-Linked Funds This policy of introducing an Enterprise Skill Investment Fund was meant to ensure that public investment is concentrated on workforce development. This would involve changing the Australian funding streams and Australian Government apprenticeship support program in the enterprise and reorganizing the employer incentive schemes to ensure financial assistance to where only equity is evident (Skill Australia, 2008). This policy would then require the government to put the students with social disadvantages like racism, ethnicity and multiracialism on focus to assure them of benefiting from the scheme. If such students are put on focus then the educational policy would be regarded as one that will reduce the social disadvantages faced by certain students in Australia. Supporting Communities: Better Targeted and Coordinated Effort The review of the educational policy was also meant to help support communities through various coordinated effort and targets. This could be done best by connecting employment services to VET providers. The first step would be putting into action the state training authority to ensure high evels of integration; exercising the role of public provider and community education sector and having a higher profile for Regional Development Australia to design strategies for a regional workforce (Skill Australia, 2008). This would imply that an educator or education service provider, know best what the students need in order to fit in the design workforce. The educator, through detailed research and coordination would go further to provide the students with the knowledge that would best give them an entry into the employment field. Therefore, the implication of this would be a comprehensive review of the curriculum to incorporate such vocational skills and achieve relevancy. The curriculum would also have to be reorganized for the purpose of ensuring that all students’ background is taken care of. Aspiring To Excellence Australian government in a bid to ensure excellence decided to ensure that the VET regulatory system was well equipped; the Australian Quality Training Framework reformed to ensure an independent annual student assessment; number of supervised and unqualified VET practioners reduced; a high quality of Training and Education Training Package established and introducing criteria for RTOs (Skills Australia, 2008). This would ensure that the VET service providers and the higher education sector all adhere to the quality standards set by the government. As an educator in close contact with students, one would be required to be keen on delivery and ensure that every student regardless of race, culture or religion get success after receiving a high quality training package. This would further enhance equity in the kind of workforce that would be provided later. Delivering Outcomes and Understanding the Sector’s Contribution In order to understand the sector’s role and focus on the outcomes it gives, the Australian government introduced outcome-based funding policy to make everyone in the sector to focus on performance. This included putting incentives for Registered Training Organizations in relation to completion of disadvantaged students (Skill Australia, 2008). The program would go further to establish a website for the VET students to show their profiles, courses and outcomes. Any VET provider would also be required to provide data that is compliant to the VET statistical standards so that a comprehensive and transparent national data can be developed (Skill Australia, 2008). This would work best if the survey tools were independently designed and administered more to measure learner engagement. Such a policy would help in several ways. First, through the established of a website, it would be easy to establish the type and background of students admitted to every institution to see whether the institutions practice equality. For good outcomes to be greatly realized, the government of Australia saw the need to support teachers and trainers to develop their skill in using digital media and internet (Skill Australia, 2008). The government would also fund skills assets within specified parameters to create way to learning and work (Skill Australia, 2008). Education Services for Overseas Students As acknowledged in abstract section of this paper, Australia is a vibrant country in the provision of educational services for overseas students. This is because of the high consumer protection mechanisms it has put in place through the Educational Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) and goes further to imply hat most institutions must meet certain requirements for registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) (Australian High Commission India, 2012). Once the providers are registered, they are required to meet legislative standards in the education delivery, facilities and student support services. The act also assures tuition and financial assistance for international students and shows how these institutions need to comply with the policy. Commonwealth funding would also benefit VET providers offering degree programs (Skills Australia, 2011). The implication of such funding means that even the less advantaged students would be able to access some contingent loans, especially those undertaking low courses. In conclusion, the main aim of these educational policies is to help disadvantaged students and individuals in the education sector. The educational policies are meant to make educational outcomes more independent on intelligence, motivation and effort. Education imparts skills for prosperity in the sense that it helps those who are not able to make informed decisions to have enough knowledge that helps them know the good outcomes of education (Argy, 2007). The policies are aimed at increasing resources because most people cannot make right choices in life due to lack of resources. Employers as well are declining from training up low educated employees as they argue that is costly (Argy, 2007). This is the reason as to why the VET sector in Australia has greatly grown. A good step that would help bring equality as the sector grows is such a policy like that of funding higher education to encourage more people to participate. A focus on the implications such as admission of students regardless of race, religion or culture is a sign of equality that greatly encourages. This is because every student will have access to higher education and VET. Once a great population of the country can achieve high success in higher education with good outcomes and funding from organizations like the Commonwealth, then Australian government will be closer to finishing the inequalities that exist its educational sector. They will therefore to complete in the rapidly growing world economy. References Argy, Fred. (2007). Education inequalities in Australia. Institute of Advanced Studies; The University of Western Australia. Aussie Educator. (2012). Educational policy. Retrieved from on 22nd October, 2012. Department of Computer Science (2012). A Statement on Higher Education Policy in Australia. Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2008). Review of Australian Higher Education: Final Report. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia Monash University. Skills Australia. (2011). Skills for prosperity - a roadmap for vocational education and training. (pp. 1-9). Barton, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia Read More

As this paper explores some of the policies, their intents and implications, one fact that cannot be forgotten is the establishment of the fact that most students in Australia are of different socio-economic status. This socio-economic status is determined largely by academic achievement. This gives a good reason why this paper will broadly look at the educational funding policy to see whether it caters for all students including the disadvantaged ones. More specifically, the paper is largely focusing on the policies that would enhance equality in the provision of educational services.

An analysis of the policies is as well largely motivated by the observation that public educational spending is an important factor that determines the economic well-being of a country. Australia as a country has fallen behind OECD average in its support for education( Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008). Another fact that cannot be ignored is that Australian universities require governmental support especially in the area of research. The intent and implications of Educational Policy in Australia One would not fail to mention the Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) when trying to cross-examine Australia’s educational policy.

This is because this area attracts people all over the world. Such a system as the one found in Australia is not easily found in many countries especially those that are up to ensure a highly skilled workforce to support the strong global economy(Australia High Commission India, 2012). The VET system has got attractive packages developed by many enterprises and it equips one with skills that are required in a work place. Therefore, any one who undergoes such training would complete with competency and high standards.

The vocational education and training (VET) as well as the higher education sector in Australia is geared towards ensuring that it is a world class and high-performing sector that will be vibrant enough to address skill shortages and help students participate in the workforce. This is with the view that VET links learners to the labor market, workplaces, and community development, individual and employers aspirations (Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations,2008). In a bid to realize this vision, the government of Australia through review committees saw that it would be necessary to enlarge the number of people with higher education in the country.

The intention here was to ensure provision of funds to fund the number that would be participating; ensure that everyone has access to the benefits of education; monitor arrangements for high quality education and reorganize the national governance structure (Skill Australia, 2008). The Review of Australian Higher Education (2008) report estimates that the target population for students participating in the upgrading of the education sector should be 40% of students between the ages of 25-to- 34years old ( Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008).

This would include giving the disadvantaged group an opportunity to also participate as well as provision of higher education in regional areas (Skill Australia, 2008). This policy was adopted by the Australian government towards ensuring that there was equality in education and the government decided to exercise expansion of the requirements for workforce participation and the challenges by 2020, by introducing new financing strategies for VET sector (Skills Australia, 2011). The implication of such a policy would require that institutions receive funding if only they allowed their staff to comment freely on issues on their area of specialization.

As an educator, one would be required to admit students regardless of race, gender or religious belief; and adopt strategy to ensure continuity in the culture of sustained scholarship. This will in turn give each student in Australia an opportunity to access education at whatever level.

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